Archbishop Desmond Tutu admitted to hospital with infection

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Archbishop Desmond Tutu attends an exhibition on Nelson Mandela in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2013.

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Archbishop Desmond Tutu has wrestled with health problems for years

He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts to end apartheid in South Africa

Johannesburg (CNN)Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu is being treated in a hospital for a persistent infection, his representatives said.

The 83-year-old, who has wrestled with health problems for years, was admitted Tuesday to a hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, and is expected to remain there through Wednesday night.

His family hopes he will be able to return home in a day or two, said the Rev. Canon Mpho Tutu, one of the archbishop's daughters.

The daughter said her father "wished to thank everyone who had sent love and prayers over the past 24 hours, telephonically, electronically and through social and mass media channels," read a statement issued Wednesday through his representatives.

Tutu, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his efforts to end apartheid in his native South Africa, has remained active well into his 80s with the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and other organizations.

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He previously underwent hospital tests for a persistent infection in 2013.